There has been much discussion on the difficult child. Let’s
look at the gifted child. Not to imply that gifted children
aren't difficult ... as a matter of fact, I hold the belief that
most difficult children are probably gifted and therein lies a
part of their social problem. For clarity, let's refer to the
gifted child in this article as the one who excels at academics
and extra curricular activities of an extraordinary nature. My
older daughter has a friend, Megan, who is highly gifted ...
highly gifted being a step grander than gifted in the public
school system. In her special class, she has massive amounts of
homework, incredibly difficult assignments and a rigorous school
schedule, including mandatory extra hours. Her after school
activities include piano lessons, singing lessons (she's great!)
and any other challenging activity she can persuade her parents
to pay for. Megan is an incredible child ... sweet, personable
and kindhearted. We rally round her with each new
accomplishment. This is a child who clearly shines in her highly
gifted classes and is happy to be there.
My older daughter is very bright, too. OK, bragging but she
really is! ;-) She was pegged by her preschool teachers as
destined for the gifted groups in elementary school. Well, turns
out she was never tested, which, in California, must be done
only on the request of her teachers. She graduates with honors
each year but her social life is much too important to her and
she has never shown the focus or passion for learning that other
gifted and highly gifted children we know have demonstrated.
I've come to the conclusion that gifted children have a burning
desire to achieve academic excellence, whether in a competitive
atmosphere or not. One gifted child we know had taught himself
to read at two years of age, learned a foreign language (French)
by age 4 and loved nothing more than to read historical novels
and advanced math books. By age 11, he had acquired an amount of
knowledge that most of us would be happy to acquire in a
lifetime.
Highly gifted children can be found in all walks of life, in any
economic class and from parents who are themselves high
achievers or not. These are children who are born to learn,
excel and accomplish. There is also the consideration of the
child who is gifted in more subjective or artistic talents, not
necessarily academic, but gifted nonetheless. These children are
not as often identified but need as much stimulation and
advanced learning as academic achievers.
For parents or caretakers, there is a responsibility that goes
with the nurturing of such a personality. These children need to
be intellectually stimulated more than average and need greater
outlets for their mental creativity. Sometimes, parents of these
kids are hard-pressed to keep up, either financially or
intellectually. The more parents and caretakers can offer these
remarkable young ones, the greater their chance of reaching
their potential as outstanding individuals in our society.
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